Tag: Mike Locksley

Maryland HC Mike Locksley set to receive sizeable salary raise

Mike Locksley received a sizeable salary increase on Friday.

The University of Maryland and Mike Locksley have agreed to new contract terms that will give the 53-year-old head coach a sizeable salary raise.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, Locksley will now see his salary increase from $4 million to $6.1 million. The contract is set to run through the 2027 season but an additional year will also be added to the contract if the Terrapins win seven more games this fall.

While Maryland has confirmed that the university and Locksley have agreed to new details on his contract, they did not confirm any raise in salary.

“Coach Locksley has done an amazing job revitalizing our football program,” said Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in the press release. “We have won bowl games in each of the last two years, something that hadn’t been done at Maryland in nearly 20 years. Coach Locks continues to grow our program, both on and off the field, in developing impressive young men. As we continue to make significant strides with higher expectations, we are excited he will be leading our program into the future as ‘The Best Is Ahead’ for Maryland football.”

Locksley took over the Maryland football program in 2019 after being an assistant coach at Alabama from 2016 through 2018. Since taking over at Maryland, the Terrapins have gone from 3-9 and 2-3 in his first two seasons to 7-6 and 8-5 in their last two including two bowl game victories. It has been a much better tenure for Locksley at Maryland than his first head coaching stint at New Mexico where he went 2-26 over two and half seasons. If the Maryland can achieve a winning record in 2023, it will be their first three-season stretch of .500 or better since 2001 through 2003 under head coach Ralph Friedgen which saw the Terrapins go 31-8 overall.

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Maryland coach Mike Locksley gets the Duke’s Mayo bath

Maryland earned its coach Mike Locksley a bath of Duke’s Mayo

The University of Maryland defeated North Carolina State, 16-12, in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday.

And you know what that means … the Terps’ coach had to sit in the chair for the four-gallon mayo bath thanks courtesy of the game’s sponsor.

The big hat almost helped prevent Locksley from getting totally smothered in mayo.

 (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

White the Wolfpack were defeated, their coach Dave Doeren might not have been totally miffed. He isn’t a big fan of the condiment as the viewing audience was told incessantly during the broadcast.

 

What Maryland coach Mike Locksley said about Michigan football after the game

These are uncomplimentary compliments.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Maryland looked like it belonged against Michigan in Week 4, and the Terps head coach, Mike Locksley, sounded like his team belonged, as well.

Instead of fawning all over the Wolverines, who won 34-27 on Saturday, Locksley noted that while Michigan won the game, it was more about what the Terrapins didn’t do.

“Obviously gotta give credit to Michigan, a top-five program,” Locksley said. “Obviously, like I told our team, we don’t believe in moral victories, close is not good enough. But I’m proud of the way our team fought. I liked the effort that we played with. We faced adversity throughout the game, including spotting them a touchdown. Right at the beginning, which, as I’ve said here, good teams don’t need help. And we sure gave them a cheap, easy one right off the bat.”

When Michigan needed a big defensive stop after the first few drives of the game, besides the final touchdown for Maryland, it produced it. For Locksley, it was a lack of execution on the Terps’ end, and players not finishing, along with the coaches not putting Maryland’s players in a good positioin.

“The disappointing thing is that we talked about what it would take to win up here, which is to give ourselves a chance to get in this game and into the fourth quarter,” Locksley said. “We had opportunities to kind of put ourselves ahead, which puts pressure on a good team like Michigan. And from coaching to our best players, we’ve got to make the right call. Our players got to make the plays that are there to be made. If we can learn how to do that against good teams like this, I think we take a step forward in terms of getting it to where we said we needed to get the game — into a fourth-quarter opportunity for us — so we did that.

“But we didn’t make the plays when the plays were there to be made. And that starts with coaching, starts with our best players, making the plays when they’re there to be made.”

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But what did Locksley have to say about why his offense wasn’t able to execute?

He did credit Michigan, to some degree, but still pointed the finger back at the Terps for not being able to get the job done.

“Michigan’s defense, our players not executing,” Locksley said. “I mean, most of the time when we don’t have success on offense, it’s not necessarily because of something that the other team is doing, it’s usually our execution. And we’ve got to execute at a higher level. You’ve got to make the plays were there to be made.”

Overall, Locksley wasn’t fawning over the Wolverines. He felt his team had a chance to win, and it looked like it for a good two-thirds of the game. Given that Michigan has had sustained success under head coach Jim Harbaugh, Locksley says he understands how difficult a task it would be to come in and upset the maize and blue.

But, again, he noted that it was his team’s lack of execution that held it back on Saturday.

“It’s more about us than Michigan. And it’s gonna always be that way, in my mind, because if you watch the way this game played out, there’s nobody in our locker room that came in making this into a Super Bowl,”  Locksley said. “Michigan’s a top-five team. So I give them tremendous credit and the way they built their program and established it, but we knew that we would have a chance to be in this game. And that we would have to make some plays to take it because they won’t give it to you. And we didn’t take it today.”

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Big Ten coaches: What made Michigan football different in 2021

Some excellent insight from nine Big Ten coaches on why #Michigan had an incredible year. #GoBlue

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — It was nearly a dream season for Michigan football in 2021, with a near-perfect regular season record, save for the one blemish coming against in-state rival MSU. But the Wolverines beat Ohio State for the first time since 2011, advanced to the Big Ten Championship game, and took down Iowa to win their first conference title since 2004.

Some teams had more success than others. Rutgers, Nebraska, and Penn State took the maize and blue to the brink. Northwestern and Indiana had run-of-the-mill losses. Wisconsin, Maryland, Ohio State, and Iowa got taken to the woodshed.

At Big Ten media days this week, WolverinesWire spoke to every Big Ten head coach that faced Michigan (except Nebraska’s Scott Frost, who was scheduled at an odd time the first morning) to ask either what made Michigan different in 2021, with the exception of Rutgers’ Greg Schiano (we asked what made them moderately successful) and MSU’s Mel Tucker (we asked why the Spartans were successful).

Here’s what each of the nine had to say.

Donovan Edwards ‘a dark horse Heisman contender?’ Joel Klatt thinks so

The sky’s the limit for him! #GoBlue

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — On a late-November evening, Donovan Edwards was showing off just why he was such a highly-touted recruit. And Mike Locksley is eager to forget it.

Though he wishes to, he cannot.

The Maryland head coach had hoped for a better outcome for his Terps on Nov. 20, 2021, as they hosted a surging Michigan football team. The Wolverines had everything to lose with the Big Ten East on the line and Ohio State looming the following week. Simultaneously, several players and staff followed along with the Buckeyes’ drubbing of fellow rival MSU during pregame warmups, knowing a battle was forthcoming. But for the true freshman running back out of West Bloomfield (Mich.), he wasn’t going to be denied that day in College Park, as he collected 10 catches for 170 yards — a Michigan receiving record from the running back position.

“He made a bunch of plays for them, I do know that,” Locksley said at Big Ten media days on Tuesday. “Across the board, when we played them at that time, obviously the score was indicative that they made a ton of plays all over the field, and they did it in all three phases.

“They were a really good team a year ago. Obviously, No. 7 was one of their guys that was a playmaker and did a tremendous job.”

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The next step for Edwards requires extrapolating that one game into a full season while adding his running prowess to the mix. The tailback managed to out-catch his ground production on the year, reeling in 20 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 174 yards on 35 carries in his first year of college football.

Now that lead back Hassan Haskins is off to the NFL, Edwards — along with junior star Blake Corum — will carry the load.

His head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has often noted that a player makes their biggest leap from the first week of the season to the next, but what about from their first year to their second? As a five-star (according to 247Sports’ proprietary rankings), Edwards has serious potential, but the difference between potential and production takes a lot of will and determination — attributes Edwards has in spades.

“Yeah, I totally agree,” Harbaugh said of the freshman to sophomore leap. “I mean, freshman year to sophomore year there’s a real — it’s a real opportunity for a huge jump, right? Because you’re just doing everything one more time, again. You’re doing everything again for a second time, unless you get into one of those sophomore (slumps), where you take a step back and start reading your own press clippings or get a big head. I don’t know.

“Donovan Edwards, he’s one of those outliers, one of those — just keep doing you, Donovan. That’s all I can say to Donovan Edwards. I mean, just everything he does, every way he does it, every way he attacks things, just his personality, just being around him, I mean, can’t have any more favorite player than Donovan Edwards. He’s one of those that comes along every so often, every generation, so to speak. But he’s super special.

“He’ll do something, I don’t know what he’s gonna do. You don’t know what he’s gonna do. He may tell you what he’s gonna do, but I mean, it could be rolling out throwing some pass 50 yards downfield on a dime. Making some cut, making some catch — he can literally do it all. Incredible balance, speed, vision, toughness. And he’s just one of those guys — we got a bunch of guys like this. They’re my favorite guys. They’re the dreamers, they just dream big. And they’re the ones that usually make it in this business.”

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One notable personality envisions heaps of production, and then some, for Edwards this coming season.

We spoke to Joel Klatt — the FOX Sports premier college football color analyst — at Big Ten media days, who expounded on something he told WolverinesWire before Michigan’s Week 5 contest against Wisconsin in 2021. As Edwards was warming up, Klatt pointed to him and exclaimed, ‘He’s going to be a stud!’ For a player who had only seen sparing minutes across three of Michigan’s four games, it was quite the sentiment, one based on projection and potential. But, for Klatt, he had seen enough already to indicate that the freshman phenom had quite the future in front of him.

And with that in mind, Klatt insists that Edwards could be offensive player of the year in the conference — and then some.

“OK, so probably good for Michigan in the sense that I don’t think Donovan’s getting nearly the love or hype in the preseason — maybe until now — that he should,” Klatt told WolverinesWire. “I think that he’s a dark horse Heisman contender. I think he’s a dark horse offensive player of the year in the Big Ten. And primarily because I think he’s about as complete as they come for a young player in particular.

“Even last year, as just a baby, when it comes to experience, he caught it really well out of the backfield. You saw that come to fruition in particular against Maryland in that game, the screen passes that became more prevalent after Blake left with his injury, in particular in the Big Ten Championship game. He’s really good at that. But he’s also great running the football. I felt like he showed signs outside of the tackle box, inside of the tackle box. So while missing Hassan Haskins is hard, I think that Donovan could be a more complete player. Maybe not quite as powerful of a straight-ahead runner, but close because of his size. And yet he gives you the element of explosiveness of the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

“And that one-two punch with him and Blake, as a combination, I think is as good as any out there.”

If Michigan has any chance to repeat as Big Ten champions in 2022, it will, of course, require balance between offense and defense — which Klatt also acknowledged. But it’ll also require offensive balance.

And with Edwards’ ability in both the run and pass game, if he makes good on the promise of his potential, the sky’s the limit for the Wolverines as the season begins anew come September.

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Big Ten hot seat rankings: CBS Sports evaluates head coaches’ futures in the conference

Scott Frost’s seat is scorching hot at Nebraska. How does CBS Sports rate every other Big Ten head coach’s hot seat situation?

There’s already been plenty of Big Ten offseason fodder out there. On3 recently released its Big Ten power rankings, CBS Sports ranked every Big Ten head coach, and ESPN updated its Football Power Index rankings of every team in the conference.

Iowa was ranked No. 37 nationally according to ESPN’s FPI and the computer simulations projected the Hawkeyes’ complete 2022 season game-by-game results as well. According to ESPN’s game-by-game FPI simulations, Hawkeye fans can expect Iowa to finish 7-5 in the 2022 season.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly penned up a full Big Ten West breakdown and there’s now odds out for the 2022 season as well. According to Tipico Sportsbook, Iowa is tied for the sixth-best odds to win the 2022 Big Ten championship. Tipico set the Hawkeyes’ win total at 7.5 entering this upcoming season as well.

Needless to say, there’s plenty out there to consume and dissect before the season kicks off in earnest for Iowa against South Dakota State on Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. from inside Kinnick Stadium.

CBS Sports just released one of its most fascinating pieces entering each college football season, though. Dennis Dodd revealed the 2022 college football hot seat rankings.

CBS assigns ratings of 0 to 5 to describe a current head coach’s current situation. The number ratings work out like this:

  • 5 – “Win or be fired”
  • 4 – “Start improving now”
  • 3 – “Pressure is mounting”
  • 2 – “All good…for now”
  • 1 – “Safe and secure”
  • 0 – “Untouchable”

Let’s take a look at where each Big Ten head coach finds themselves according to CBS Sports entering 2022.

Maryland head coach Locksley via ESPN: Marcus Freeman is a ‘Unicorn’

A mythical creature indeed

When [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was named [autotag]Brian Kelly’s[/autotag] successor, not many of us were surprised. In fact, it was the logical choice to elevate the fast-rising coaching star.

Not only did Notre Dame hire one of the best coaches in the country, they did what many schools have not done, make a minority as the face of their program. It is obviously not the first time the Irish have done that, with [autotag]Ty Willingham[/autotag] paving the way, but it still was an important move.

As ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg put it, “Freeman became head coach of arguably the sport’s most famous team,” when looking at which rising minority coaches could follow in his footsteps. Current Maryland head coach [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag] knew the importance of Freeman’s hire, calling him a “unicorn” due to getting his first head coaching job with the Irish.

As the story continues from Rittenberg, Freeman understands “that you are the representation for a lot of people. I want to make sure that I do this in the right way so that future generations and coaches continue to get the opportunity that I was presented.”

So far, so good in Freeman’s tenure, even with losing his first game against Oklahoma State. He has big shoes to fill, not just in South Bend, but across the country.

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CBS Sports ranks every Big Ten head football coach entering 2022

Where does every Big Ten coach rank entering the 2022 college football season per CBS Sports?

There’s some really good head football coaches in the Big Ten. That makes it difficult to ascend up a list, easier to go tumbling down in the rankings and certainly a feat to remain ranked toward the top of the list of college football’s head coaches.

CBS Sports took on the task of ranking each of the Power Five’s head football coaches. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz checked in as the No. 13 coach nationally in that ranking from CBS.

What about everyone else in the Big Ten? Where do Ohio State‘s Ryan Day and Michigan‘s Jim Harbaugh slot in? How about Michigan State‘s Mel Tucker and Penn State‘s James Franklin?

Both P.J. Fleck at Minnesota and Paul Chryst at Wisconsin have done nice things in their tenures at those two programs. Where are they in the national pecking order? Can anybody make an argument still for Scott Frost at Nebraska?

Before revealing the full rankings below, here’s what CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli had to say about the league’s coaches.

The Big Ten is all about depth. After all, it’s called the Big Ten but currently boasts 14 schools and will soon have 16 (and maybe more!) before you know it. That depth is certainly reflected in how we at CBS Sports ranked its coaches.

In our overall Power Five coach rankings, published earlier this offseason, nobody from the Big Ten cracked the top five spots. However, while the conference lacks a top-five presence, it has five coaches ranked in the top 15, eight in the top 25 and 12 of the top 40. It’s a testament to the conference’s tradition as well as overall spending power. – Fornelli, CBS Sports.

While the Big Ten might not have that top-five presence, that could certainly change quickly after the 2022 season and the fact that 12 of the top 40 coaches reside in the league is a testament to the conference’s coaching depth.

Let’s take a look at where every Big Ten coach ranks according to CBS.

‘Definition of overachieving’: Big Ten coaches sound off on the 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes anonymously

In Athlon Sports’ 2022 season preview, Big Ten coaches were asked to anonymously scout the Iowa Hawkeyes. Here’s everything they had to say.

Sure, the preseason All-American and All-Big Ten lists give fans a great indication of the type of talent each roster has heading into any given season. Those are great media fodder when comparing teams’ rosters, too.

Still, one of my favorite pieces of each offseason is getting a look into what the coaches have to say anonymously about each program. Athlon Sports’ annual magazine delivers on that front each and every offseason and 2022 is no different.

Regardless of where you might rank them, the Big Ten has a collection of some of the finest coaches in all of college football. Iowa just so happens to have arguably the best head coach of anybody in the Big Ten. When those coaches and their assistants break down how they view a program, it’s some pretty fascinating stuff.

Once again, Athlon Sports tasked the Big Ten’s coaches with providing an anonymous breakdown of the Iowa Hawkeyes heading into the 2022 college football season. Here’s everything they had to say about Iowa.

How Sporting News ranked every Big Ten coach in 2022

How Big Ten football coaches rank in 2022 according to Sporting News.

The Big Ten has some of the highest-paid coaches, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t facing some pressure heading into the 2022 college football season. Nebraska head coach Scott Frost continues to be in a spotlight in Lincoln and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] could use a nice rebound season at Penn State. Meanwhile, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is coming off his first appearance in the College Football Playoff and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is looking to get the Buckeyes back to the top of the conference after being knocked off the top of the ladder in 2021.

After another year of results have been observed and broken down, Sporting News took the time to update its annual ranking of every FBS head coach going into the new college football season in 2022. Not surprisingly, some coaches around the Big Ten took some notable slides up or down the national ranking after last season’s results. Mel Tucker of Michigan State rocketed up the ranking after a solid season in East Lansing and Indiana’s Tom Allen took a good stumble after the Hoosiers couldn’t keep the momentum of 2020 rolling into 2021.

Here’s how Big Ten coaches stack up according to Sporting News for the upcoming 2022 season.